20-Week Deadline Puts U.S. Defense Companies at Risk of Losing Contracts

Suffolk, VA, August 15, 2017 (Newswire.com) - Starting now, most of the U.S. Defense Industrial Base have less than 20 weeks left to implement cybersecurity plans that adhere to Department of Defense guidelines or face the consequences of being in breach of their contract requirements. 

Commonly called DFARS or DFARS 7012, the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clause 252.204-7012 imposes security and incident reporting requirements on DoD contractors and subcontractors. The deadline for compliance is December 31, 2017. 

"The entire U.S. Defense community has been impacted by the Government-requirements to conform corporate cybersecurity programs to the rules of this acquisition clause. For many organizations, DFARS has been the source of major IT investments, structural re-organization, and significant cultural changes as employees across the globe access and handle Government data in a new way.

Heather Engel, Chief Strategy Officer of Sera-Brynn

“The entire U.S. Defense community has been impacted by the Government-requirements to conform corporate cybersecurity programs to the rules of this acquisition clause,” stated Heather Engel, Chief Strategy Officer of Sera-Brynn. 

“For many organizations, DFARS has been the source of major IT investments, structural re-organization, and significant cultural changes as employees across the globe access and handle Government data in a new way,” added Heather Engel.

Sera-Brynn, LLC, a FedRAMP-authorized assessor and cybersecurity audit and advisory firm based in Virginia, has audited and advised companies on the implementation of DFARS since its inception in 2013.  Based on its work in the field, the firm urges companies to be alert to the deadline and to seek qualified assistance in identifying the scope of government data within their organization.  Also important is building in sufficient time to develop and implement network segregation, multi-factor authentication, endpoint encryption, continuous monitoring, insider threat training programs, and other plans that may be necessitated by DFARS.  

For more information, visit https://sera-brynn.com/dfars.

About Sera-Brynn: 
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Sera-Brynn is a leading cybersecurity audit and advisory firm. The Virginia-based company offers threat management, compliance and risk assessment, risk control, and incident response services that enable clients to secure their computing environments and meet applicable and mandatory cybersecurity regulatory standards.  This technical expertise is the backbone of their DFARS compliance services.  Founded in 2011 by former members of the U.S. intelligence community, Sera-Brynn is ranked #9 worldwide on the Cybersecurity 500 list.

Media Contact

Colleen H. Johnson
[email protected]
Sera-Brynn, LLC / Cyber Risk Management
5806 Harbor View Blvd., Suite 204
Suffolk, Virginia 23456

Source: Sera-Brynn